Variables
by lewdness
Summary: When the end of the world came, no one expected it. /Zombies, guns and explosions, oh my./ Axel/Roxas and Sora/Riku


For kokanshu and thanatophilia.

**

* * *

January, 2009**

"One two, buckle my shoe, three four, shut the door"

Sora grinned as he came closer to Kairi, the little girl humming and singing off-key under her breath as she brushed her hair, while her puppy howled in accompaniment. Behind him, Riku and Roxas let out soft laughter and then glared at each other as if insulted that the other would dare laugh at the girl.

"Your momma said dinner's ready," Sora said, watching her blink at them and then go for her socks and shoes, the trio of boys waiting for her, not minding. "She made pudding!" The last word was drawn out with a huge smile, the boy clearly pleased with the fact that Kairi's mother enjoyed spoiling them with pudding and cookies and other sweets.

Once she was ready, the four of them tromped back down the stairs, Kairi's little puppy trailing after them, growling and nipping at the bright pink bow around its neck, rolling onto its back and pawing at the air.

"C'mon, Muffin!" Kairi cooed, and instantly the little dog was up and bounding close, panting and barking with excitement, big paws dwarfing the rest of its small body. She picked it up, and kept on going, the boys each taking their turns petting it and grinning when it licked their hands and wagged its tail.

"Happy birthday," Kairi's mom greeted upon seeing the small army, ruffling Sora's hair and Roxas' as well, grinning at Riku who just covered his head and slid away to escape the hair-ruffling. "Go sit down; food should be ready soon."

Nodding, Kairi headed to her spot at the table, flailing a little as Axel tugged on her hair, grinning wickedly and sitting next to a quiet Roxas, showing him the latest video game that he had just bought. At fifteen, Axel was already too tall, Riku thought sourly, sitting next to Roxas as well, letting Sora and Kairi sit together. The brunet handing her a gift shyly, and flushed pink with pleasure when she proceeded to smother him with hugs and a kiss on the cheek.

"Gross," Roxas said from beside him, frowning a little as he went back to his book, legs curled under him, while Axel texted furiously on his cellphone, grinning at something and leaning over to show Roxas.

A moment later, plates of food were set out in front of them, Kairi's mother managing a ruffle of Riku's hair before he could escape and laughing at his groan of protest while she served the rest of them and fed Muffin. She sat down last, smiling at all of them.

Riku just focused on his food, not sure what else to do, a small smile on his face. This house was always more comfortable than his own. Ansem was rarely at home, and without a doubt when Riku went back that night, he still wouldn't be there. He was always busy with whatever he did at that laboratory, always pouring over notes and experiments, even when he had the rare dinner with his child. It wasn't that Riku didn't want him to continue his work- his father was a great man, he knew. Ansem was responsible for so many of the advancements of medicine and technology, along with his partners and assistants. It was good for some, but for Riku it meant he barely saw his father. Frowning a little, he picked at his food, listening to the conversations around him, talking when talked to. Once the maid finally came to get him, he figured out what he'd do.

* * *

"...Riku, you shouldn't be in here," Ansem chided, pushing his glasses up his nose and glancing at the pre-teen with a frown on his face. Wrinkles showed at the corners of his eyes and mouth. "What do you need?"

Hands sliding into his pockets, Riku debated on what to say for a moment. He scuffed his feet against the floor and then lifted his head, determined. "I wanna do what you do," he said, chin lifted to a stubborn tilt, watching his father. "I wanna help people, and do the scientist-y stuff."

Ansem's face was nearly unreadable for a long moment, watching Riku straighten his back and half-glare up at him, stubborn. "Fetch me that science book over there, then," he said quietly, not missing the way Riku's eyes lit up as he practically ran off to get it, bringing it back. "Your grades are to remain the same, do you understand? The slightest dip, and we'll drop these lessons all together."

Nodding furiously, Riku listened to every word his father said, trying to keep up, mentally filing words that he didn't know to look up for later. Excited didn't begin to cover how he felt; his father _trusted him._ That alone was enough to make his whole week brighter.

Surprisingly enough, his grades didn't drop the more time he spent in the lab with his father. If anything, he did better in his science classes, even his writing ones, surprising his teachers. He had excelled so much at such a young age. Ansem kept a careful eye on him the whole time but once he proved that he could keep up, he started giving the boy a bit more free reign, though he was never allowed into the far right room of the lab. Riku only asked once what was in there, and was quite angrily informed that he had no business going into places like that, and if he tried, he would never be allowed in the lab again.

While it enforced that he obviously shouldn't go in there, it only peaked his curiosity as to what his father was doing, even if he did not have the guts to open it-- yet.

**

* * *

March, 2010**

"I want you to watch those screens as if your life depended on it," Ansem ordered shortly, prompting a vaguely amused look from Xehanort, the man obeying a moment later while Ansem kept up with checking the needles and making sure that the mouse was properly restrained.

"My job depends on it," Xehanort commented wryly, glancing back once more to watch his instructor, then back to the screen. "That alone is enough for me to obey, as you should know."

Nodding sharply and muttering under his breath, Ansem scribbled down some short notes into the book, flicking a few switches and then sliding his hands into the gloves. Carefully he put the needle in one hand, grabbing the nape of the mouse's neck with his other and injecting the first serum into its flank, listening to the steady _beep...beep...beep_ of its heart from behind.

"Everything seems to have remained normal," Xehanort called from behind him, writing down a few things as well, monitoring as carefully as he could. "Its heart-rate is still normal, if a little quicker but we anticipated that."

"Indeed," Ansem said thoughtfully, this time grabbing the smaller vial and sliding it into the injector, preparing to inject the mouse again. "Injecting serum two into Specimen One on March fifth, 2010." And with that the second needle went in, leaving the mouse to twitch, its tail flicking sharply with each passing second.

Xehanort glanced back, scribbling down notes, then looked back at the screens. "Heartrate remains the same, save for another spike upon the entry of the needle. Brain activity is nor--" He blinked, peering closer at the screen, eyes widening. "Master Ansem, I'd look at this if I were you," he murmured, tapping the screen and watching a small wave of blue lights start to sweep across the mouse's brain, lighting it blue and red. "It worked!"

Hurrying over, Ansem stared at the screen with a hint of surprise on even his own features. "All other vitals are normal? You're _sure?"_

Xehanort checked them once, twice, and then nodded, almost grinning. "It's worked, really, truly worked. Should we inject the other mice as well, or wait for this one...?"

Barely able to believe it himself, Ansem paused a moment, watching the steady blips of the mouse's vital signs before answering. "We wait a week, and then proceed with testing on the others. Well done, Xehanort, well done."

**

* * *

One week later**

"Injecting mouse two," Ansem said, the needle sliding easily into the mouse's flank with the same reaction. "Repeating processes on all remaining mice, three through five."

Xehanort nodded, glancing at Braig momentarily, the man giving him a raised eyebrow in return, hands buried in his lab-coat. "All vitals are normal."

"Sweet," Briag commented, watching them all with interest and just flashing Ansem a cheeky grin.

It wasn't the most scientific word to describe what had happened, but "sweet" fit the accomplishment well enough.

**

* * *

May, 2010**

"What're these mice for?" Riku asked curiously, peering up over the edge and watching one mouse lick itself. Riku had a mildly disgusted look on his face. Skipping to the next cage, he frown when he saw all the rest were doing it as well. _Freaaaaks,_ he thought, a little weirded out by their synchronous moves.

Ansem didn't look back, too busy typing away into the computer. "They were test experiments. They seemed to work well at first but nothing seems to have changed. Aside from heightened hearing and smelling, and a lack of sleep, they're normal. We're probably going to dispose of them soon enough. They're not usable for any other experiments."

Frowning a little at that, Riku stuck his finger into the cage of one with little brown tips on its ears and grinning when it stopped its licking and waddled over. One clawed hand rested on his finger, beady eyes on his. "...You sure there's nothin' weird about these mice?" Riku asked curiously, leaning in closer and frowning a little bit at it.

"Indeed Riku, we've run all our checks on them. They're a failed experiment. You may take one if you wish. I trust you know how to care for a pet?" More tapping away, and Riku glanced at the screen, catching sight of a J-E-N.

Riku's eyes widened, and he nodded furiously- his father had always been against him having pets before. "Can I take this one?" he asked, withdrawing his finger and pointing at the little mouse, grinning widely.

Not even looking back, too engrossed into his work, the man nodded, waving a hand dismissively, "As you wish. If it dies, I want you to bring it back, we're just going to incinerate the rest of them."

Head cocking to the side, Riku watched the other mice mirror the first, pressing to the cage-fronts, noses twitching and tails flicking. "...Can I just use the big cage, and keep them all?" he asked, trying to figure out the best way to convince his father. "I think that they'd all have a need for companionship, and I needed a thing for my science-fair experiment anyway."

He got a brief wave of a hand and Ansem nodding. That was all he needed, reaching into the cages and picking up the strangely docile mice, sliding them into the biggest cage and carrying it out and up to his room, excited.

**

* * *

June, 2010**

"So you understand when we say that this is the opportunity of a lifetime," the man said again, straightening his tie, a shiny silver pen in his hands as he waited.

Ansem didn't respond for a long moment, though he could practically feel the excitement radiating off of his assistant, so very, very pleased at the idea of being offered so much money for their little project.

"I don't think we'll accept," Ansem said quietly, feeling Xehanort freeze completely as his hand stopped its tapping against the table. The representative was just as shocked, eyes wide, mouth in a perfect little O of surprise. "We aren't doing this for the government. Why would the government even be interested in our project...? After all," Ansem leaned forward, lips curling into a vague smile. "We're working toward using the nanos to stimulate tissue and muscle growth, to regrow arms and such. What could the government possibly want with those kinds of things? Unless, of course, dear Maleficent was working with you, as I am quite sure that she is." His lips twitched up even further at the way the man started fiddling with his tie again, clearly not sure what to say. "Ah, and if she were-- involved, that is, then she would probably wish to bring up our old project, if she hasn't already. So no. You can tell the American government that we will not be selling our project to you, or to any other government and that this is strictly for the benefit of society, not for the manipulation of the people who rule it. Good day, sir. My assistant will show you out."

As soon as the two of them were gone, Ansem walked over to his computer, password locking every inch of the research on the project, not surprised when Briag walked in a moment later.

"Heard you turned down the bigwig's offer," he said carefully, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Xehanort's gonna be furious, with you pissin' all over his parade like that."

Ansem raised an eyebrow, closing down the computer and leaning against the counter. "And I should care about his parade, why? He is my assistant, just as you are. We aren't working for the government to form bio-weapons, we are working for the world to help its people."

Lips twitching into a vague smile, Briag just shrugged, hands palm-up in the common gesture of "hell if I know". "Just sayin' that Xehanort's got his eye on bigger things. If you don't start letting him play outside with the big boys..."

The older man just scoffed, shaking his head and gathering up his notebooks. "You're dismissed, Briag, Take the day off, if you desire."

**

* * *

August, 2012**

Sprawled out on the roof of Sora's house, Riku leaned over Roxas to turn up the music, not missing the way Roxas' eyes flashed open, narrowing a moment later.

"Relax," he muttered, going back to laying on the towel, sunglasses over his eyes. "I like this song."

From the far left, Kairi gave him a lazy smile, her head pillowed on Sora's shoulder, fingers trailing soft designs around his navel just to feel him tense and twitch, knowing he was ticklish.

"This song's like five years old, Ri," she murmured, stretching out a little to make sure that she got an even tan.

"Doesn't make it any less good," Roxas said sleepily, having relaxed when Riku went back to his towel, and he had gone back to his book, just skimming it now, debating on going inside to sleep.

Riku sent the blond a vague smile, smearing more sun-tan lotion over his skin; it was the highest SPF there was, because he knew that out of the three of them, he was the least likely to get tan, and the most likely to get a wicked burn, no matter what he did. From the side, Sora caught his eyes, and gave him a lazy smile that had nothing to do with Kairi curled up close to him, and everything to do with something that Riku couldn't name, and wasn't sure what to do about.

**

* * *

December, 2012**

"I applied," Riku said for the fourth time that night, clearly unimpressed with Sora, Kairi and even Roxas' badgering about which colleges he sent in his applications to. "You know my father wants me to go to an Ivy League, just like he did, though," he said, frowning a little bit. "I've already had to apply to four. One of them asked me to list out every book that I've read in the last year."

"...Yeah, but you can't," Sora said petulantly, not missing the way that Kairi sighed and came to stand behind where he sat, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, trying to comfort him.

Riku gave him a slightly annoyed look, wandering over to the mouse-cage and sliding his hand in, picking up the little one with brown ears. Out of all of them it was his favorite, seeming to be the smartest of the bunch. Two of the five had died through the years and had been incinerated as instructed, but the remaining three seemed to be doing well enough.

"I've already done what I can to apply to the same schools you all did," he reminded, stroking the mouse's tiny head and frowning when all the other mice pressed to the front of the cage, watching.

"Your mice are freaks," Roxas muttered, frowning at the cage.

"Not as much as you," Riku returned acidly before he could stop himself, glaring as Roxas flipped him off and headed downstairs, leaving the three of them there. Exhaling softly, Riku placed the mouse back in its cage, locking it securely and then turning to face a now-glaring Sora and Kairi.

"What?" he demanded, though he already knew the answer, reaching for the hand sanitizer and cleaning his hands.

"You've been kind of a jerk lately," Kairi said, obviously beating Sora to what he had been going to say, because he just nodded, arms crossed. "Not saying that Roxas hasn't too, but..."

Pretending that he had no idea what they were talking about had been working for years, and he was pretty sure that it would work now. It wasn't the bravest plan of action, but it was the one that he was going to go with, at least. "I'm making some hot chocolate," he announced, and promptly fled his own room, to go downstairs where it was--

--well, really, not that safe, considering Roxas was down there, but it was better than the alternative. Downstairs he went, moving into the kitchen to find Roxas already there, with a pan full of milk already boiling.

"Oh," he managed eloquently, not sure what else to say. Roxas barely gave him a glance, just simmering the milk and waiting, grabbing a few spoons and some hot cocoa, having been in this house enough times to know where everything was.

"Do you want a cup?" Roxas asked, not bothering with a greeting or anything, frowning at how high up the bigger coffee cups were. "Actually, never mind. You need to grab the ones up there."

Amused, Riku moved closer, glancing up there. "You can't reach them?" he asked smugly, knowing that Roxas was pissy about his height; it was one of the few things that he could tease the boy about and get away with consistently. "Say the magic word."

And Roxas, nowhere near as amused as the other boy, simply pinched his side hard enough to make the other boy yelp, eyes narrow. "Get them," he said again, scowling but pleased when Riku obeyed and got four cups, handing them down and then leaning against the counter. "What're you even doing down here?"

That was a question that Riku didn't quite want to answer, so he shrugged, leaning over to flick the stove off as he grabbed a ladle. "Maybe I was in the mood for hot cocoa," he said blandly, moving to grab the first cup and frowning when Roxas caught his hand, the blond's hand tight and warm, palm a little sweaty. "...Roxas?"

The blond opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, like he wasn't sure what to say or how he was going to say it. "...I need to spend the night," he settled on, and then squeezed Riku's hand painfully when the taller boy lifted an eyebrow at that. "It's Sora's and Kairi's anniversary, I-- we still share a room and you know they can't go to her house, so I need to like--"

"What about Kairi's house? Axel wouldn't mind you-"

"_No._" Roxas nearly snapped the single word out, sending him a rather nasty look, and Riku just held his hands up, shrugging.

"Yeah, that's fine," he said with a shake of his head, relieved when Roxas' hand loosened a bit. "Just let me know when."

Roxas gave a jerky nod, dropping his hand and serving up the cups, adding the cocoa and milk into each. He sent his brother a text, too lazy to bring it upstairs, before going to sit down on the couch in front of the TV, not surprised when Riku followed. "Sora's gonna throw a fit if you don't come to college with us," Roxas said carefully, sipping at his cup and licking his lips. "You know that."

Frowning more, Riku came to sit next to him, nodding a little bit. "I know it," he murmured in return, flicking the flatscreen TV on and not bothering to change the channel, since it was muted anyway. "I don't know what else you want me to do though."

Roxas said nothing for a long while, then just shook his head. "I don't know. Just drop it."

Frowning, Riku did as he was told.

**

* * *

December, 2012 (Two days later)**

"Thanks," Roxas sighed as he slid into the room, dumping his duffel bag on the floor and brushing his fingers through his bangs. Bits of snow still clung to his coat and his hair. Riku noted with a bit of amusement, reaching out and forcefully ruffling Roxas' hair, just to piss him off. "...Hands to yourself," Roxas said after a moment of growling like a feral cat, ducking away and sliding off his coat, hanging it on a coatrack. "Freak."

"Tch," Riku muttered in return, heading off to the kitchen where milk was already starting to boil, two cups with cocoa already put in them, at the ready. "You want one, right?"

Roxas followed him, bundled up in a large hoodie and nodded. "No one else home?" he asked, frowning a little bit. The house was quieter than he was used to, but then again it was rare for him to be over without Kairi and Sora as well.

"The maid has the week off," Riku murmured, curling up on the couch and gulping down a mouthful of the cocoa, not minding that it burned, just happy with the roll of warmth that followed. "Was it gonna be that bad at Sora's that you opted to stay here?" he questioned, teasing. He and Roxas had an unsteady friendship at times, but it was strong enough. It probably helped that they had grown up together, and had enough in common through Kairi and Sora, and even Axel by default. It was just that Riku...wasn't quite sure where Roxas fit in his mental catalogue of people.

"You aren't that bad," Roxas interrupted, spooning a marshmallow into his mouth, chewing, "so long as you don't open your mouth."

Riku grinned a little bit. "Ouch, hit me right where it hurts," he drawled, and snagged a marshmallow right out of the bag, taking a bite out of it and dumping the other half into his cocoa, stirring it with his spoon. "So what are we gonna do tonight? Braid each other's hair and swap stories about which person is the best kisser?"

Roxas' eyebrow lifted. "Someone's willingly kissed you before? Like, someone not bribed or blackmailed or--"

"...You're lucky you're holding scalding hot liquid," Riku said, and un-muted the TV.

**--**

"It's five AM," Roxas muttered, yawning and downing the rest of his Coke, wondering if that much caffeine in the span of one night (they were on their second twelve-pack together) was a good idea.

"It won't stop our hearts," Riku yawned back, curling up in the two-person beanbag, hogging the space. Roxas tuned him out as he started to list just what caffeine did to bodies and hearts, opening up another can just to spite him and nudging Riku out of the way so there was room for him on the beanbag as well. As soon as he was settled, Riku stretched his legs out, sprawled out half on Roxas, half not. "You didn't listen to a word I said," Riku drawled, eyes back on the shitty horror movie that they were watching, debating on reaching for another Coke. "You tired yet?"

Roxas shook his head, and offered his can to Riku. "I don't want the rest, I'll be up all night if I have it," he murmured, resting his elbows on Riku's thighs once the other teen had taken it. "You know your mice are really fucking creepy, right?"

Riku paused, glancing up to the mice, all three of them gnawing on the plastic-coated wire of the cage. Part of him thought he should disagree just because he could (and because it was Roxas) but the rest of him agreed wholeheartedly. "Pretty much," he said, frowning at them. "There's something weird about them. Dad wouldn't tell me what experiments they were doing."

Roxas' eyebrow raised. "I thought your dad made like...medicines and stuff. Why would he not tell you what they did to a few stupid mice?"

Licking his lips, Riku tried to think about what to say. Why did his father not tell him, why had he been brushed off, why wouldn't anyone explain what went on in the other room? "...I dunno," he answered with a shrug, jumping slightly when Roxas' thigh started to vibrate, his phone going off. "Go for it."

Rolling his eyes at the implication of permission to answer his phone, Roxas shoved Riku's legs off of his own, and dug around, answering it with just a sigh. "What are you calling at five in the morning for," he growled, and Riku's lips quirked up a little bit with the realization of who it probably was. "It doesn't mean I couldn't have been sleep-- no. No, I'm with Riku. ...What?_ At five AM?_ ...Fine. Whatever." And he hung up, a sour look on his face.

"...What'd Axel want?" Riku asked curiously, glancing back to the TV where a girl exploded in typical B-Movie fashion.

Silent for a moment, Roxas tucked his phone back in his pocket. "Wants to go get something to eat. Says he just got outta work and is bored," he glared at his pocket as if it would reach Axel that way. "You mind if I...?"

Shaking his head, Riku stood up with a yawn, cracking his back into place. "I'm probably gonna sleep," he said, moving to his drawers and digging around for a pair of pants to wear to bed, while Roxas dragged a hand through his hair in the mirror. "Have fun on your date. I'll leave the window open for you, okay?"

Roxas sent him a nasty look, eyes narrowed, but held back the retort that probably would have done more harm than good, for both Riku and Sora. A few moments later there were bright lights and the low hum of an engine outside, and Roxas slipped out the window, running across dew-damp grass to slide onto the back of Axel's Ducati, not bothering with a helmet.

"Ihop?" Axel called back, lifting his feet and starting off down the road, not waiting for Roxas' response.

**

* * *

--**

Hair wind-ruffled to the point of disheveled, Roxas at least tried to start finger-combing it as they both got off his bike and headed into the warmth of Ihop, the blond wishing that he had brought a jacket or a bigger hoodie to wear for riding the bike that late at night, especially with how cold it was. The hostess, a bent, wrinkled old lady led them to a booth, slapped down the menus and then hobbled off to go spend the rest of her shift standing behind the podium in a near empty restaurant.

"Coffee," both of them said as soon as their waitress walked up, the woman snorting and turning on her heel to go fetch it, not surprised.

Kicking his shoes off, Roxas curled his legs under himself, feet tucked under his thighs to keep warm, sitting on his hands as well. "Christ, kid," Axel muttered, lifting a hand to his mouth and biting the tip of his gloves, tugging them off and tossing them at Roxas, frowning. "That's why I tell you to put your hands in my coat pockets, dumbass."

Roxas uncurled one leg, slamming his foot into Axel's thigh with a scowl, just to hear him yelp out a curse and seethe quietly on the other side of the booth. "Guess you shouldn't call at fucking five in the morning just 'cause you're bored," Roxas returned with a growl, sliding the gloves on and wrapping his hands around the two cups of coffee that were poured before them, the waitress wandering off to go take care of the man on the other side of the restaurant. "You're paying."

That got him an eyeroll, as Axel opened his menu and started scanning it, debating on what to get. "Tch, don't I always?" he asked, reaching for his coffee and downing a scalding mouthful with a pleased little hum, loving how he could feel it burn all the way down. "You have fun with widdle Wiku?" Axel drawled. "Did you guys swap stories about what you wanted to be when you grew up, and who you wanted to marry?"

Roxas gave him a bland look, sipping at his coffee, a little warmer now. "Of course," he returned dryly, knowing Axel would be disappointed that he hadn't risen to the bait. "So what's this new job that's got you out till five? Are you a security guard or something?"

The redhead shook his head, skimming the menu still. "Been doing my college internship with some guy who used to work with Riku's father. Pays better than I thought but he's batshit insane. He's brought a bunch of us in on it, and we all had to sign forms and shit saying that we wouldn't talk about what we did and this and that was secret, all that shit." He shook his head again, too lazy to lift his hand to push his bangs out of his eyes.

"Ready to order?" The waitress said, sliding up to them with her pen and pad at the ready, popping her gum with a soft crack. She was gone a few minutes later, leaving Roxas to watch Axel carefully.

"So you can't talk about what goes on in the lab?" He asked, frowning a little. "That's...sketchy."

Grinning a little bit, Axel nodded. "Yeah, it is. Hell, I don't fully know what's going on still, we just run around like the nice little mice we are and dance when we're told. With how much secrecy and shit there is though, m'half hopin' it something big."

Roxas' lips quirked up a little bit from behind the mug as he took another drink. "Delusions of grandeur, then?" He asked, eyebrow raised. "Hoping that Axel the Great, just out of his first year of college gets to be world famous?" He snorted a little, amused. "Good luck, I guess. Just hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass, yeah?"

A sour look on his face, Axel just drained his coffee, letting the bored waitress fill it up along with Roxas' before she meandered off again. "I dunno. Seems promising. Good way to fill up spare time and all, yeah?"

Roxas gave him a little shrug, leaning back as their food was set in front of them, reaching for his fork and knife. "Gimme one of your sausage links," he said, waving his fork at Axel's plate while he used his knife to spread a bit of butter on the pancakes. He grinned when Axel just obeyed. "Got enough food, there?"

Roxas had gotten a simple order of pecan pancakes and grits, while Axel had went all out, sausage, bacon, an order of pancakes, eggs, and waffles while he was at it. "Dunno, might order more," Axel answered through a mouthful of syrup-soaked waffle, smirking a little bit.

Rolling his eyes, Roxas just went to his food, enjoying the quiet of the restaurant, and the food. When they were finished, Axel led him back out, snagging his gloves back and this time making Roxas wear the helmet, frowning at any protests. "This time, genius, you put your hands in my pockets so they don't freeze off," he said, making sure that the helmet was securely fastened, straddling his bike and feeling Roxas get on behind him, hands sliding into his pockets obediently, arms tight around Axel's waist as he started his bike up, pulling out and revving his engine. "Where to? Riku gonna expect you back?"

"Sora's going to expect me there," Roxas answered, flipping up the plastic visor so he could talk. "Best if I don't make him worry."

Grunting, Axel nodded and kicked off, sending them screaming down the street, while Roxas held on tightly and watched the lights melt by them.

**

* * *

--**

Needless to say, Riku was less than impressed to find that at six thirty, no, he was not a pirate-ship captain, and the reason his bed was rocking so rhythmically was because of whoever was on the bottom bunk. Somehow he doubted that it was Roxas moving that much, alone at least, and grabbed a pillow, throwing it down under as hard as he could in his sleepy haze, pleased when it abated for a while.

The next morning, Riku was woken up by a sharp curse and gagging, his eyes sliding open with confusion. "S'wrong," he murmured, voice thick with sleep, rubbing his eyes. "Ros'us, s'wrong?"

"Shit, your-- _ugh_." Roxas said eloquently, sounding slightly muffled. Riku lifted his head, finding Roxas with his shirt held over his mouth and nose, and Axel opening the windows. "Your fucking mice are _sick_, Riku."

Confused, Riku swung his legs out of bed and jumped down with a thud, half-staggering over and recoiling at the smell. "Shit, what--" His eyes went wide at the sight. The mouse with white paws was gnawing lazily on the thigh of the third mouse, while the brown-eared one just stood on top of the food dish, tail curled beside it, out of reach. The worst part, he realized a moment later, was the fact that all the mice were still alive, even the one whose flank was currently being eaten. "Shit," he said again, not sure what to do.

"Rox, find my gloves," Axel muttered, head half-way out the window, smelling fresh air instead of the mouse-cage, scowling.

Nodding, Roxas found them, tossing them over and watching as Axel put two of them on one hand, not minding that it was slightly uncomfortable as he flicked the cage open and reached in, cursing loudly when the mice scrambled away, the crippled one revealing the large pool of blood and sawdust it had been laying in, its muscles and sinew showing through the ragged patches of fur.

"Shit," Roxas breathed, watching it crawl off to the corner while the other mouse watched Axel's hand. All of them were startled when it suddenly ran at it, clawing and biting, climbing up and out of the cage, leaving Axel to curse loudly and shake his hand, throwing it into the wall with a soft crack.

"_Jesus fucking goddamn **Christ,"**_ Axel snarled, eyes widening when the mouse twitched, and started dragging itself forward, then paused, coughing up blood and fur and bits of what they were pretty sure was the other mouse's leg.

"Oh fuck, that's _sick_," Roxas breathed, making sure the cage was shut, eyes wide. "Fuck."

The mouse gave a feeble little cough, and then kept crawling forward to Axel's boot.

"Kill it," Riku said quietly, voice low. "Axel, kill it. It's half fucking dead already. There's something wrong with it."

All of them cringed at the sharp crack as Axel stomped his combat boot down on the tiny thing, and Riku silently went into the bathroom to get stuff to clean the body up with, feeling sick to his stomach.

Inside the cage, the wounded mouse just squeaked shrilly, drawing their attention when the other one was cleaned up, and Roxas' stomach flipped as the creature turned, starting to chew at its mess of a leg.

"Shit, do they have rabies or something?" Axel muttered, peering down at them, not sure what to do to get it to stop. "Riku, you've got some weird pets. Next time get a fish or--"

The mouse gave another shrill squeal, and started hacking up blood and bits of flesh and fur just as the other did, clawing at the sawdust and plastic ground, before biting at itself all over, just eating and spitting up what it ate, while they watched, none of them sure what to do.

"I'm not sticking my hand back in there," Axel said quietly, wincing when it started biting and gnawing at its toes, eating them. "Oh fuck, that's just-"

Swallowing hard, Riku silently opened the door, and then went back. "I think it's...best if we just get rid of them," he said quietly, grabbing the cage and holding it gingerly, the three of them heading to the lab with the shrill screaming of the mouse echoing in the halls, all the way to the incinerator in the basement. By the time the incinerator was heated up, the mouse had already chewed its front paws off, and the other mouse was stalking closer, just watching it, nose twitching.

"How fast do you think they'll die?" Riku asked quietly, not wanting them to suffer any more than they had already.

"Who the fuck cares, it's eating itself." Roxas opened the small door and grabbed the cage, shoving it in and slamming it shut, cranking the heat up as far as it would go. "I really hope you don't have anymore freakish little pets, or that your dad isn't running a personal Petshop of Horrors."

Riku shook his head, silent.

* * *

Not a lot happened here, but there's the big explosions/sex/gore in the next chapter, rofl.

Otherwise, I hope you guys enjoy. I'm gonna go hide now, fff. please leave a review if you liked/read!


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